The NBA has announced an expansion in the scope of coach’s challenge reviews for certain out-of-bounds plays. According to a statement released Tuesday, if a foul should have been called on a play, it can now be assessed shortly after the incident.
The change, approved by the league’s Board of Governors during a meeting in New York, follows a unanimous recommendation from the NBA’s competition committee last week. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is expected to address the meeting details later today. The new rule will be implemented starting this season.
This modification could have been relevant during last season’s playoffs. In one instance, Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving fouled Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels as the ball went out of bounds. Despite clear evidence of Irving hitting McDaniels’ arm, no foul was called, and the ball was awarded to Dallas since it was ruled to have gone out off McDaniels.
Under the new review protocol, when coaches challenge out-of-bounds calls, on-court officials and the NBA Replay Center will be able to review the video to determine if a foul should have been called before the out-of-bounds violation, provided specific criteria are met. These criteria include whether the players involved in the uncalled foul are the same as or different from those involved in the out-of-bounds violation and the time elapsed between the uncalled foul and the violation.
